Priest Assaulted during Mass

Case information
Incident date
Country
France
Place
Saint Denis
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Physical Violence
Place of Incident
  • Church
Bias Indicators
  • Time/Place/Location
  • Victim/Witness Perception
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Investigated

On May 11th, a man entered l’église de la Source à Saint Denis on the French island of Réunion during the celebration of the Mass, walked straight to the altar, and slapped Father Pascal Mussard. Many parishioners rushed to intervene. Police arrived soon after and handcuffed the man. After it was discovered that the perpetrator was "imbalanced" and had fled from a hospital hours earlier, the priest declined to file a complaint.

Sources